Memramcook-Tantramar recount could take days

A judicial recount of more than 8,200 votes cast inMemramcook-Tantramarbegan Wednesday in a Monctoncourtroom but could take days to complete.

Green Party candidate Megan Mitton won by 11 votes in the Sept. 24 provincial election,unseatingincumbent Liberal BernardLeBlanc.

LeBlanc and his brother Don LeBlanc requested the recount. A recountis automatically granted when requested if the margin is within 25 votes.

Mittonreceived 3,148 voteswhileLeBlancreceived 3,137.Progressive Conservative candidateEtienneGaudetreceived 1,518 votes, andNDPcandidateHlneBoudreau 410.

The riding was an important win for the Green Party, which won three ridings across the province. The PCs won 22, Liberals 21and People's Alliance three, leaving the parties jockeying for power in the week following the vote.

"Since the poll was very close, within 25, I requested it because some residents wanted to make sure all the votes were counted properly and that the machines were good and make sure that these are the votes,"LeBlanctold reporters outside the courthouse.

But he said he doesn't necessarily think there was anything amiss with the vote.

"It's a long process," LeBlancsaid of how the count was going.

The recount began in Courtroom 12 just before 11 a.m.

Court of Queen's Bench JusticeBrigitte Robichaudheld up each ballot, announcing who received the vote and showing it to lawyersfor the Liberal and Green candidates.

LeBlanc was the only candidate in the courtroom, while the PCs and NDPwere not represented.

Recount could take days

Threeboxes with ballots from advance polls were counted by the time the court went on a lunch break at 12:35 p.m.

The recount determined those polls one with 178 votes, one with 141 and another with 223 had been correctly counted. There was only one spoiled ballot. The voter had not marked any of the circles beside the names of the candidates.

Each vote took about 10secondsto count.There were8,237 votes cast in the riding.

The recountwas expected to continue through Wednesday and potentially into Friday. Several boxes containing special ballots were in Saint John for a recount underway in the riding ofSaint John Harbour.

Robichaudsaid those boxes will be shipped to Monctonso they can be counted as soon as the recount in Saint John is complete.

The judge acknowledged it could be a lengthy process.

"If we don't want to spend the long weekend here, we may have to spend a little bit (of time) here this evening,"Robichaudsaid, suggesting the counting may continue beyond 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Elections NB announced a third recount will take place inOromocto-Lincoln-Frederictonstarting Thursday.